Yes, Matt, Rhonda's mother was 200 feet away, and her husband was pretty much on the phone with 911 from the moment you left the house...How on earth could he have killed his wife and raped her with the wooden poll, in the 18 seconds between phone calls! You can't even get one of our favorite anti's to buy into to your BS stories..

A review of the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, along with all inferences tending to support the verdict, reveals that there is more than enough evidence to support a guilty verdict. Although not specifically addressed by the State, this Court should find the inconsistency in Puckett's allegation that David killed Rhonda within a four or five minute time period while the physical evidence establishing that David's second 911 call was placed 18 seconds after his first 911 call was terminated, especially convincing of Puckett's guilt. Accordingly, this assignment of error is without merit.

I object to the execution of people who are factually innocent or have some reasonable chance of being factually innocent. With respect the propriety of executing Larry Puckett, I stand mute.

______ The excerpt from the appeal is below.

Justin was still outside. Nancy then took the children, ran to her house, locked the boys in the bathroom, and called 911. This 911 call was received by the 911 system at 5:01:15 328*328 p.m. and answered by the 911 operator at 5:01:20 p.m. At 5:01:41 p.m., Nancy was placed on hold, as 911 received a call from the Griffis' trailer. Mrs. Hatten identified State's Exhibit Number 3 as the club that Puckett had in his hand in the trailer.

¶ 6. The Griffis family knew Puckett because he was once employed by David Griffis. While Puckett was employed by David, the employees would gather at the Griffis' house before leaving for work.

¶ 7. Jeffrey Griffis testified that when he entered the home, he saw Puckett with a club in his hand and holding on to Mrs. Hatten's shirt. David Griffis testified that when he entered the home, he saw Mrs. Hatten with Puckett standing in front of her with the club in his hand raised over his head. David indicated that Puckett was wearing army-type coveralls. The club had blood and a white substance on it. David asked Puckett what he was doing in his house and Puckett said he had hit a deer on the road and came to get David's help and to use the telephone. David called out for Rhonda but no one answered. However, Puckett told David that Rhonda was down at her mother's house. David asked Puckett about the blood on the club and Puckett indicated that it was blood from the deer. David then dialed 911 from a portable phone that was laying on the counter beside him. This 911 call was received by the 911 system at 5:01:27 p.m. and answered by the 911 operator at 5:01:41 p.m. This (David's) call was terminated at 5:04:42 p.m. At some point, David and Puckett struggled and David got the club from Puckett. David tried to keep Puckett in the trailer until the police arrived. However, Puckett took off running towards the door. As Puckett was running for the door, David swung the club and hit Puckett on the shoulder. Then, as Puckett ran out the door, David threw the club at him. Dr. Michael West testified at trial that the club, State's Exhibit 3, was consistent with the wound pattern found on Puckett's back.

¶ 8. Once Puckett exited the trailer, David entered the living room and reached for his pistol that was usually on a gun cabinet just to the left of the living room door. However, the pistol was not there. David did not see Rhonda's body lying in the living room at this time. David then ran into the bedroom to retrieve a rifle from the bedroom closet. The bedroom door is straight ahead as you turn towards the cabinet. As David exited the bedroom and re-entered the living room, he then saw Rhonda laying on the floor. He saw that Rhonda was injured and dialed 911 again to inform the police. David's second 911 call was received by the 911 system at 5:05:01 p.m. and was answered by the 911 operator at 5:05:07 p.m. This call was terminated at 5:11:45 p.m. The time between the end of David's first 911 call and the beginning of his second 911 call was 18 seconds. Sheriff's deputies and paramedics arrived within minutes.

Bye Matt, I hope you have made it right with your maker, even if you are lying to everyone here on earth..give the family some peace and apologize for taking their beloved daughter, Rhonda

Logged

"Indeed, the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death." SCOTUS

Epps said Puckett is reportedly “somber,” according to MDOC officers stationed outside his cell.

For his last meal, Puckett has requested macadamia nut pancakes with butter and maple syrup, shrimp and grits, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, a bag of Werther’s Originals caramel candy and an A&W root beer.

For lunch, Puckett ate meatballs and gravy with turnip greens, cookies and tea.

He has requested neither his family nor his attorney witness his execution, scheduled for 6 p.m. by lethal injection.

The victim’s mother and father, Cecil and Nancy Hatten of Hattiesburg, are scheduled to witness the execution.

Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel, Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee and Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood will witness the execution, along with the Hattiesburg American and three other media outlets.

Epps said more updates would be delivered to media soon.

Read more in tomorrow’s Hattiesburg American or later today at hattiesburgamerican.com

I think Larry has finally seen the handwriting on the wall...enjoy your last hour on earth scumbag!

Logged

Vengence is mine saith the Lord...who are we to question the instruments used to carry it out?

Photo credit: AP | FILE - This April 14, 2008 photo taken in Parchman, Miss., and provided by the Mississippi Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Larry Matthew Puckett. Barring a last minute reprieve, Mississippi authorities are set to execute Larry Matthew Puckett on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 for the sexual assault and slaying of a mother of two. The U.S. Supreme Court declined a petition to block the execution on Tuesday afternoon in the case of Puckett, who was convicted in the 1995 death of 28-year-old Rhonda Hatten Griffis.

PARCHMAN, Miss. - (AP) -- A Mississippi man convicted of the 1995 sexual assault and slaying of the wife of his ex-boss, has been executed.

Larry Matthew Puckett, 35, was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary, authorities said.

Rhonda Hatten Griffis, a 28-year-old mother of two, was found dead at home on Oct. 14, 1995. She was an only child and her parents were listed as witnesses for the execution. Puckett had previously worked as a landscaper for Griffis' husband.

Griffis' mother, Nancy Hatten, told The Associated Press she came upon Puckett, then 18, in the home after the killing. She said Puckett tried to blame the woman's husband, who arrived afterward and scuffled with the man. Puckett fled and was arrested two days later.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Logged

"Indeed, the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death." SCOTUS

Larry Matthew Puckett, 35, was declared dead at 6:18 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection more than ten minutes prior.

He was convicted in 1996 of the October 14, 1995 murder and sexual battery of Rhonda Hatten Griffis in Petal.

“No,” was the final word from Puckett’s mouth after being asked if he had any final statements.

For his last meal, Puckett requested macadamia nut pancakes with butter and maple syrup, shrimp and grits, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, a bag of Werther’s Originals caramel candy and an A&W root beer.

Logged

"Indeed, the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death." SCOTUS

“No,” was the final word from Puckett’s mouth after being asked if he had any final statements.

No, what? No, you did not do it? or "No", just nothing you have thing to say! You sure where vocal about how "innocent" you were and how misunderstood.

You have two full minutes to say anything to world about who you are, what you are, or send a simple, "I am sorry". You could have said "I was great eagle scout and the sky looks lovely from this angle"

May Rhonda Griffis and all who mourn her death find peace and justice.

Dee

Logged

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money - Margaret ThatcherThe most terrifying words in the English language: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan

Rest in Peace Mrs. Griffis. I hope your family has seen the end of this episode and can enjoy the rest of their lives.

Hutch

Logged

"How come life in prison doesn't mean life? Until it does, we're not ready to do away with the death penalty. Stop thinking in terms of "punishment" for a minute and think in terms of safeguarding innocent people from incorrigible murderers."

“No,” was the final word from Puckett’s mouth after being asked if he had any final statements.

No, what? No, you did not do it? or "No", just nothing you have thing to say! You sure where vocal about how "innocent" you were and how misunderstood.

You have two full minutes to say anything to world about who you are, what you are, or send a simple, "I am sorry". You could have said "I was great eagle scout and the sky looks lovely from this angle"

Lal, Lal, Lal, wasted youth. Rotten Bastard.

Next....

Not even a message for his English scumpal special friend from over at PTO. I guess she's served her purpose, she can't send him any more money where he's gone.

“No,” was the final word from Puckett’s mouth after being asked if he had any final statements.

No, what? No, you did not do it? or "No", just nothing you have thing to say! You sure where vocal about how "innocent" you were and how misunderstood.

You have two full minutes to say anything to world about who you are, what you are, or send a simple, "I am sorry". You could have said "I was great eagle scout and the sky looks lovely from this angle"

Lal, Lal, Lal, wasted youth. Rotten Bastard.

Next....

Not even a message for his English scumpal special friend from over at PTO. I guess she's served her purpose, she can't send him any more money where he's gone.

PARCHMAN, Mississippi (AP) -- A Mississippi man who was an 18-year-old Eagle Scout when he was charged with murder was executed Tuesday for the 1995 sexual assault and slaying of the wife of his former boss.

Larry Matthew Puckett, 35, was put to death by injection and pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Puckett was convicted of the Oct. 14, 1995, killing of Rhonda Hatten Griffis, a 28-year-old mother of two who lived northeast of Hattiesburg in Petal.

While Puckett's supporters claimed that the woman's husband killed her in a jealous rage, the victim's mother said she found Puckett in the home holding an axe handle, which prosecutors said was used in the killing.

"I caught him in her house with the club in his hand," Nancy Hatten told The Associated Press on Friday. "Her husband wasn't anywhere on the premises at the time. He drove up later."

Griffis' husband found his wife's battered body in the living room, according to court records. Puckett had worked as a landscaper for Griffis' husband, and the crime occurred weeks before Puckett was scheduled to leave for basic training with the Navy.

Puckett, who ran from the home, was captured two days later. He confessed to being at the Griffis' home to burglarize it, but claimed Griffis' husband killed her, according to court records. Puckett was sentenced to death on Aug. 5, 1996.

Supporters who insisted Puckett was innocent rallied Monday at the state Capitol in Jackson alongside the man's mother, Mary Puckett. They raised a sign that read "Take a Stand, Save Matt" and many wore black T-shirts with words in white lettering: "Save Matt."

But Gov. Phil Bryant refused to grant a reprieve after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon denied his final petition. Bryant said in a statement as the execution hour loomed that he had reviewed the case but decided against intervening.

"In light of Mr. Puckett's having been convicted by a jury of his peers more than 15 years ago and after a review of the facts associated with his case, I have decided not to grant clemency and will not delay the execution," Bryant's statement said. "My thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family."

Earlier, Puckett spent his final hours receiving his parents, brothers, uncle and a spiritual adviser at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, where the death chamber is housed. He requested a last meal of Macadamia nut pancakes, shrimp and grits, ice cream cake, caramel candy and root beer.

Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said the man's mood was "somber" in the hours before the execution. Epps said he talked to Puckett about his childhood and becoming an Eagle Scout, but he did not want to talk about the crime for which he was convicted.

"He said there's more to the story and he denied committing the crime," Epps said.

Epps said Puckett requested that his relatives and lawyer not watch the execution. Griffis' parents were on the witness list.

Thousands of people had signed an online petition in support of Puckett, insisting on his innocence. They had hoped to persuade Bryant to stop the execution.

Puckett has spent much of his time on death row writing letters to friends and family and essays on a variety of topics, including musing about what it will be like to be executed.

"Now picture yourself surrounded by big burly men with firm grips on you as they direct you to the execution chamber. The excitement and base fear course through you like no other time in your life. You sweat, you pant, you want them to stop. They won't, they can't, the whole process is inexorable," he wrote on a website that prints prisoners' letters. "Ironically, at the moment of your death your body proves to you are the most alive."

Puckett has requested that his body be released to his mother, Mary Puckett.

Mary Puckett said at Monday's rally that her son's treatment was unfair from the start.

"Like a lot of people, I thought if someone was convicted of a crime, they were probably guilty," Puckett said. "But if this can happen to us, it can happen to anyone."

Hatten said she's convinced the right man was convicted in her daughter's death. Hatten described her daughter as a woman who deeply loved her husband and children and stayed busy taking care of them.

An only child, Griffis was nearly finished with college when she became pregnant and dropped out to make a home. She hoped someday to finish her degree in social work at the University of Southern Mississippi.

"She loved us and helped us and did what she could do for us," Hatten said. "She was always a joy to us."

Another Mississippi death row inmate, William Mitchell, 61, faces scheduled execution Thursday. Mitchell had been out of prison on parole for less than a year for a 1975 murder when he was charged with raping and killing Patty Milliken, 38.

Milliken disappeared on Nov. 21, 1995, after walking out of a convenience store where she worked in Biloxi to have a cigarette with Mitchell. Her body was found the next day under a bridge. She had been strangled, beaten, sexually assaulted, and repeatedly run over by a vehicle, according to court records.

Puckett, 35, is set to be executed by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at 6 p.m. today. He was convicted in 1996 of the October 14, 1995 murder and sexual battery of Rhonda Hatten Griffis in Petal.

For his last meal, Puckett has requested macadamia nut pancakes with butter and maple syrup, shrimp and grits, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, a bag of Werther’s Originals caramel candy and an A&W root beer.

Epps said Puckett has also requested the opportunity to shower before his execution, but does not want a sedative before the injection.

“I asked him if he wanted one … he said he did not,” Epps said.

Puckett’s family left the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman at around 3 p.m. today, Epps said. Puckett asked that they not witness his execution.

Epps said his spiritual adviser, Timothy Murphy, left the prison at about 4 p.m.

“We gave him some privacy with the chaplain,” Epps said.

Epps again described Puckett as “Somber.”

“He’s not being talkative, rather quiet, doing a lot of writing,” Epps said. “He’s not going to say anything to you unless you say something to him.”

Epps said Puckett has requested the MDOC mail several documents for him following the execution.

Epps also said Puckett called two friends this afternoon, Cindy Russell and Christi Field.

He said Puckett still maintains his innocence.

“He said there was more to the story,” Epps said at about 2 p.m.

He said not much more had been discussed about it at 4:45 p.m.

“I’m going to give him another opportunity,” Epps said. “It’s been my experience, with doing 17 (executions), when it’s getting close … they’l go ahead and admit the crime.”

Justice served... God bless the victim and her loved ones Peace and honor for them all

Lundbeck’s Pentobarbital kills its 45th patient in Mississippi on March 20th, 2012

By The Pentobarbital Experiment

March 20, 2012 - Lundbeck Executes #45

Lundbeck‘s Pentobarbital kills its 45th patient in Mississippi on March 20th, 2012

Larry Puckett was put to death by the state of Mississippi. He was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder and sexual battery of Rhonda Hatten Griffis in Petal. He always claimed his innocence and issues remain as to his guilt. He did not make a final statement. He was pronounced dead at 6:18pm, he was 35 years old.

Lundbeck & Co are now responsible for 45 out of the 54 executions carried out so far in the United States since December 2010, when Lundbeck stepped in the business of death.

Will send a greeting card when you hit #100!

Logged

Vengence is mine saith the Lord...who are we to question the instruments used to carry it out?